Golf club



June 18, 1935. L. A. ST ORZ 2,005,401

GOLF CLUB Filed May 20, 1933 lmrefior Leon A. 51201? Patented June 18,1935 f 3 UNITE D. STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

, GOLF CLUB I Leon A. Storrr, Worcester, Mass. Application May20, 1933, Serial No. 672,069"

' 3Glaims. (01. 273-477) The present invention relates to golf clubs, and section at the toe portion 2 of the blade) shifts more particularly to the markings or scorings outwardly materially on the club face the axis on the hitting faces of such clubs,-'-su'ch markc, c of turning moment b'alance,--in such inanings or scorings (providedthey do not exceed a nerthat the spot or Zone of meXimum tt certain depth nd th tthe re spa ed suffieffect, instead of beingrelatively close to the in-v 5 ciently from one another) being permissible unhe? 0 heel portion 3 0f e Club face; as in a l der the rules of golf and being in general use conventional clubs, occupies a substantially cento prevent undue slippage between club face and a position a Club ac this Z9116 of 0 ball and to give the ball a limited amount of tion, in the immediate vicinity of d On both backspin, sides of the axis a, c is defined, according to my 10 The ordinary face markings for this purpose invention, by the setof relatively short markconsist usually of either a plurality of shallow ings Scorings, e e taking th u ual f rm grooves or a plurality of rows of light indentaof shallow grooves or rows of light indentations ticns,-in both cases running lengthwise of th that are substantially parallel to the sole 5, of

club face and substantially parallel, for the most the d- The markings Sco gs 4 extend 15 part at least, with the sole or ground-engaging on opposite sides Of the axis 0, 0 01 substantially edge of the club head. Such markings, however, equal distances, and t eyh ver'ami include an only obtain in full measure the desired effects a ial y in h center of e hitti when the path'of the head, at the bottom of the ace of the head that pr the DO Z0116 swing, is cut at right angles by the plane 01 th of maximum hitting effect,as set forth in the 20 hitting face; if said hitting face, at the moment aforesaid Da i of impact with theball, cuts obliquely, rather Beyond outwardly of the substantially horithan at right angles across the heads path (or zontal markings 4, the club face, acco din t intended line of ball flight), then such convenmy invention, Provides Other markings 6, t ese tional markings cannot ordinarily function efiialso taking the form parallel Shallow grooves 25 ciently for the production of backspin, because r of light indentations, b t being inclined they do not engage the ball squarely, and beat a Slight angle relative t the merkihge cause they are in effect not in parallelism with a ShOWn in e fu l ace View of Fig. 1. This inthe ground on which the ball rests. I clination of these outer markings 6, 6 is such as 0 My invention, as hereinafter described, overto compensate for the errors in a players swin 30,

comes these difficulties by a novel'arrangement that cause the l b e, at the moment of imof markings or scorings that obtains the desired p With the bell, to assume t p tion Shown backspin in shots where the club face plane cuts in the foreshortened View Of that W th obliquely across the club. head path, at or near the toe portion lagging behind, onaccount of the bottom of the swing,thereby, as hereinafter too much turning of the shaft axis in the direcdescribed, providing a corrective for an imper- 'tion of the arrow A on Fig. 2. When the club fectly-executed swing. Qther and further 010- head, at or near the bottom of the players swing, jects and advantages of the invention will be occupies this oblique or faced-back position I made apparent by the following detailed descrip-- shown in Fig. 2, the impact with the ball is made 40 tion thereof, taken in. connection with the acalmost invariably by the outer or toe portion of 40 companying drawing, in whichthe hitting face, namely, the portion provided Fig. 1 is a full face view in front elevation of with the markings 6, 6. Such markings 6, 6, a club head, having the markings or scorings of though normally inclined, are thrown, under the my invention. conditions above described, into substantially Figs. 2 and 3 are foreshortened views of the horizontal position, and h c a e ab e to im- 45 same head as it appears, respectively, in a facedpart to the ball practically as much backspin as back condition and in a faced-forward condition. would have been imparted under the most favor- Like reference characters refer to like parts able conditions,that is, with the undeflected in the different figures. club face engaging the ball in the, zone of the I have chosen for the illustration of my invenmarkings 4, 4. tion a golf club incorporating the invention of Inwardly of the markings 4, 4, the club face, Ogg and Storz Patent'No. 1,917,774, dated. July according'tomy invention, provides other mark- 11, 1933, wherein a redistribution (not shown ings I, 1, these taking the usual formof parallel herein) of the club head weight (as by decreasshallow grooves or rows of light indentations, but ing the weight of the hosel l and increasing the being inclined at a slight angle relative to the markings 4, 4', and in the opposite direction from the markings 6, 6, as shown in the full face View of Fig. 1. This inclination of these inner markings l, 1 is such as to compensate for errors in a players swing that cause the club face, at the moment of impact, to assume the position shown in the foreshortened view of Fig. 3,that is, with the outer or toe portion ahead of the socket or hosel l (by too much turning in the direction of arrow B), and the face tipped forwardly into a plane more nearly vertical than that occupied by the face in Fig. 1. Under these conditions, the impact with the ball is almost invariably made by the inner portion of the hitting face,"

and the markings E, l on said inner portion, though normally inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, are thrown by this last-described deflection of the hitting face into a substantially horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3; hence the ball, when so struck, will have imparted to it practically as much backspin as would have been imparted if it had been'struck correctly by the markings 4, 4, as the result of a normal or perfect swing.

It will thus be seen that the face markings of my invention are able to impart substantially maximum backspin to the ball, regardless of whether or not the swing is properly executed, and regardless of whether or not the hitting face of the club, at the moment of impact, occupies a plane atright angles to the desired line of flight of the ball. Not only that, but said improved face markings are so arranged as to be of great benefit to the player, from the standpoint of sharply delineating and definitely indicating the zone or area of maximum hitting effect on the club face, because in addressing the ball, the player, looking down on the club face from above, is readily able to distinguish the horizontal markings 4', 4 of the central zone of the face from the inclined markings 6, E5 and 7, 'l of the outer and inner face zones, respectively.

I claim,

1. A golf club head or blade having, in a central zone of its face, scorings substantially parallel to the sole of said head, the outer zone of said face having scorings at such an inclination to the first-named scorings that when the club head arrives at the bottom of the swing in a facedbackward position (Fig. 2), said outer zone scorings, which then become effective on the ball, tend to assume a position substantially horizontal or parallel with the ground, thereby imparting substantially as much back-spin as though the ball had been struck by the central zone of the club face.

2. A golf club head or blade having, in a central zone of its face, scorings substantially parallel to the sole of said head, the inner zone of said face having scorings at such an inclination to the first-named scorings that when the club head arrives at the bottom of the swing in a faced-forward position (Fig. 3), said inner zone scorings, which then become effective on the ball, tend to assume a position substantially horizontal or parallel with the ground, thereby imparting substantially as much back-spin as though the ball had been struck by the central zone of the club face.

3. A golf club head or blade with a set of substantially horizontal face markings in a central zone thereof, there being a second set of slightly inclined markings in an outer zone of the club head face, the inclination of said second set of markings being such that they tend to assume a substantially horizontal relation when the club head at the bottom of the swing faces backwardly (Fig. 2) and there being a third set of slightly inclined markings in an inner zone of the club head face, the inclination of said third set of face markings being such that they tend to assume a substantially horizontal relation when the club head at the bottom of the swing faces forwardly (Fig. 3).

V V LEON A. STORZ. 

